Fallen Scarf
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: Isshin was two things. A father and a captain. And to Toshiro, he was both. So when he found that Toshiro was in trouble, how could he do anything less than give him a hand? – Prequel to Welcome Back, Hitsugaya.
1. Part One

**Bleach Oneshot**

**Fallen Scarf**

**Angst**

**Isshin, Karin, Toshiro**

**Isshin was two things. A father and a captain. And to Toshiro, he was both. So when he found that Toshiro was in trouble, how could he do anything less than give him a hand? – Prequel to Welcome Back, Hitsugaya.**

**(If I didn't own Bleach before, why would you think I owned Bleach now?)**

* * *

Fallen Scarf

* * *

When Isshin looked to the sky that day, he didn't realize that he would see or feel that particular item of clothing.

A turquoise scarf with specks of snow.

He had been sweeping the outside of the clinic when he noticed it, allowing him to catch it before it hit the ground. As soon as he had his fingers wrapped around the silky material, he proceeded to examine it, his eyes narrowing as he did so.

The Spiritual Pressure that enveloped it. The smell of youth and training it gave off. A strand of white hair that had been caught in the threads.

All of it gave Isshin a knot in his stomach.

It was Toshiro's.

"Now what's going on here?" he asked himself. "He didn't drop this on the way back to the Soul Society, did he?"

"Hey, Dad!?"

Isshin snapped out of his stupor and looked up to Karin's window. His young daughter was waving her hand in the air, hoping to catch his attention.

"Is something the matter, Karin?" Isshin couldn't help but ask. He only realized a second later that he failed to switch into his "I'm a happy daddy," routine, but he didn't especially care. Just so long as Karin didn't notice.

"Yeah," Karin responded. "Is something up with the heaters? My room is freezing."

"Freezing?" Isshin thought to himself.

He barely remembered racing up the stairs to his daughter's bedroom. Or maybe he jumped through the window. He couldn't really say. All he remembered after was looking at his daughter's desk.

More specifically, the photo Karin had chosen to adorn her desk.

A picture of Toshiro and herself at the soccer field. She had her arm wrapped around Toshiro's shoulders when the picture was taken. While Karin was grinning cheek to cheek, Toshiro himself was simply staring into nothingness.

Just like an exhausted captain would, as Toshiro had been forced to take a break from his Bankai training at that time so he could recover from almost freezing himself to death.

But that wasn't the strange part in the picture.

Toshiro's image was being fogged.

By frost.

And it wasn't just the picture. A fair portion of Karin's desk was starting to grow cold, even if she didn't notice it in the beginning.

Narrowing his eyes, Isshin lifted the picture from Karin's desk and examined it more closely.

"Dad, what's going on?" Karin asked. "Is there something wrong with the picture? Why is it getting covered in ice?"

Isshin set the picture down in a second, refusing to answer his daughter's questions. "I have to go out, Karin," he said seriously. "Keep an eye on the clinic while I'm gone."

He then turned around and started for the stairs.

Then Karin said something.

"You're going to the Soul Society, aren't you?"

That froze Isshin in his tracks.

Then he turned around, looking Karin in the eye. "Is Toshiro in trouble?" she asked, just as somberly as her father had before her.

Isshin hesitated in answering his daughter's question. "Karin...," he began, "how did you know about that?"

"When Ichi-nii came back last time," Karin explained, "and you explained everything that happened to Mom, I was up in the stairwell. I wanted to get a drink, but I overheard the whole thing." She narrowed her eyes. "You're a Soul Reaper. Just like Ichi-nii."

Isshin suddenly caught himself laughing. "You got me then, Karin," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Man. I was hoping Ichigo was the only one who knew about that."

"So you're going to the Soul Society, right?" Karin asked again.

Isshin didn't answer right away.

"And you're going to help Toshiro, right?"

Another hesitation.

"In that case, take me with you!" Karin suddenly said.

Isshin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Please, take me with you," Karin said, emotion flooding her face. "If Toshiro's in trouble, I want to help."

"Sorry, Karin," Isshin said firmly, "but you can't go."

"What?"

"You're right. Toshiro might be in trouble. But if he is, I don't want you to get roped into it. And I'm sure Toshiro wouldn't want that either. After all," he then produced a grin; "don't you think he's had to bail you out of his own messes enough?"

Karin gasped a little bit, then looked down to her clenched fists.

"Don't worry, Karin," Isshin piped up. "If Toshiro is in trouble, I'll get him out of it and tell him that you wanted to kick a soccer ball at his face."

Karin scoffed and looked away.

That brought a smile to Isshin's face.

If Squad 10 lost another captain, at least they'd know who to blame this time.

* * *

The Senkaimon opened for Isshin a little later, something he almost jumped for joy about. As he raced through the gateway, his Hell Butterfly flying close behind him, Isshin looked down at the scarf in his hand, remembering the time when he last spoke to young Hitsugaya.

* * *

_Isshin had chosen to sneak into the Squad Ten barracks. More specifically, Toshiro's room. The dawn was breaking and the Senkaimon was only going to be left unguarded for a few minutes._

_A few minutes he couldn't afford to waste._

_He opened the door just a little bit, allowing him to see that Toshiro was sleeping soundly._

_Good. The youngest – if not most suspecting – member of Squad Ten was out cold. And judging from his breathing, he was going to stay that way until noon._

_"__Huh," Isshin thought. "Maybe the next time I choose to have him do paperwork, I'll be sure to help him out, seeing as how Rangiku won't be able to help him when she's drunk."_

_With that, he prepared to close the door, only to hear the one thing he was hoping not to._

_"__Are you going to the World of the Living again?"_

_Isshin tensed up like a cat._

_Toshiro was awake. Wide awake, as proven by his glare. Just perfect._

_"__Now, come on, Toshiro," he said evasively as the Third Seat got up in his futon. "Why would you suspect something like that?"_

_Toshiro stared coldly. "The only times you choose to check up on me is when I'm sick or if you're going to do something that you don't want the Squad to know about," he said. _

_"__Well, you did seem pretty tired yesterday," Isshin continued to evade. "Maybe I just wanted to make sure you were sleeping alright?"_

_"__After saying, 'Maybe I should go back and thank her properly?'" Toshiro asked._

_Isshin completely froze._

_"__You hid something from the Head Captain, didn't you?"_

_That was yet another question he didn't know how to answer._

_Great. Where did Toshiro get this skill in pushing people's buttons?_

_"__Is that why you're going back to the World of the Living? Please, answer me, Captain Shiba."_

_Isshin almost didn't want to answer. But then he sighed. "You're a little too good at this, Toshiro," he said. _

_Toshiro's eyes narrowed. "Yeah," Isshin continued, "I'm going back to the World of the Living to thank someone."_

_"__Who would you have to thank, Captain?"_

_Isshin could tell that Toshiro was starting to get a little desperate for a proper answer. His voice was starting to tremble._

_"__Just someone," Isshin said evasively. "Don't worry. I'll be in and out before you finish your afternoon nap. So you take care of the paperwork while I'm gone, okay? Rangiku'll probably slack off."_

_Now it was Toshiro's turn to hesitate in answering. His fingers wrapped around his futon cover as his mind struggled to make sense of what his captain was saying. Surely, it wasn't that big a deal if his captain left and thanked somebody._

_Right?_

_"__Fine," Toshiro finally sighed. "But you'd better try and get back as fast as you can. You promised you would help me with my Bankai training."_

_He then looked to the door...only to find that his captain was no longer there._

_"__Captain!" Toshiro exclaimed, jumping out of his futon and towards the door. He then grabbed hold of his doorframe and swung out into the nippy air._

_No good._

_Captain Shiba had already left._

_Toshiro simply looked down the walkway for a moment. "Captain," he breathed, lowering his head as he clenched the fabric of his kimono._

_Why? Why did he feel that his captain was in for more trouble than he could usually handle?_

_A terribly foreboding feeling..._

_Shaking his head, Toshiro let out a grunt. "What am I getting worried about?" he asked himself. "Captain Shiba's so stubborn, killing him is useless. He'd just come back from the grave again."_

_Little did he know, however, that as he went back into his room, attempting to throw his worries out the window like he did before, his captain was looking at him from a rooftop._

* * *

Toshiro launched a wing of ice at Mayuri, throwing the captain to the ground. Then, while the man was coughing to regain his breath, Toshiro proceeded towards him, gripping his sword harder than ever. So hard, in fact, that his hands were beginning to bleed.

"Alright now," Giselle said in the distance. "Go ahead and kill him now, Captain."

Mayuri simply chuckled at the death sentence. "And not even the slightest reaction from the young captain," he said. "Your power is truly devastating."

"Well, thank you," Giselle responded. "Now go on, Captain. Finish him off."

An order.

One that Toshiro couldn't help but obey.

His sword was raised above his head, his face belying the pain that his body was in. His hands refused to shake, despite the weight of his sword bearing down on his cut up hands. His face, however, was covered in a thin veil of sweat. The only sign that said he was growing more and more exhausted. That his body was on the verge of collapsing, zombified or no.

A second of silence enveloped them all.

Then Giselle smiled a bit more. "Finish him."

Toshiro's dead eyes started Mayuri down for a moment longer before swinging his sword as hard as he could.

His sword clashed with gravel, dirt, and debris. Mayuri, however, had disappeared.

Toshiro remained unfazed as his trained eyes scanned the field.

"Sorry for being late, Toshiro," a voice suddenly exclaimed. "But with your Spiritual Pressure exploding like that, not to mention you've changed since the last time I saw you, it took me a while."

Toshiro then flinched, as did Giselle.

Then Toshiro lifted his head to the source of the voice.

His entire body froze up, his shoulders tensing up.

Isshin was standing in the middle of the battlefield, his torn piece of haori flowing in the breeze, Mayuri's wrist in his hairy hand.

"Yo, Toshiro," Isshin said with a mocking salute. "Now, care to explain why you're wearing that getup and attacking your fellow captains?"

"Who are you?" Giselle asked, her hands on her hips.

"Me?" Isshin asked in reply. "Oh, I'm just a silly Soul Reaper." His gaze suddenly went solemn. "But if you want details, well, that's a different story." He jabbed his thumb to his chest, a grin forming on his face. "Former captain of Squad Ten, Isshin Kurosaki!"

"Kurosaki?" Giselle asked. "You mean like Ichigo?"

"Yes," Isshin answered. "He's my son."

"Ca-"

Isshin's gaze then went to Toshiro.

The young captain was shaking from head to toe, his hands trembling under the weight of Hyourinmaru. His eyes were wider than they were when Isshin first left, and emotion was suddenly flooding into his face.

"Cap...tain."

His voice was breaking, something Isshin noticed right away. He was either in deep pain...or he was hardly able to speak at all.

"Toshiro, what's wrong?" Isshin asked.

"What?!" Giselle exclaimed. "How is he even talking? He doesn't have a consciousness right now!"

"Doesn't have a consciousness?" Isshin asked curiously "What are you talking about?"

Giselle grinned like a madwoman. "I'll show you," she said. "Captain~. Attack him."

Isshin caught himself wanting to back away.

But shortly thereafter, everything paused.

Then Giselle looked to Toshiro.

He wasn't moving to attack. His entire body was trembling, his eyes locked on the man before him.

"What's the matter!?" Giselle shouted. "Attack him!"

"Toshiro," Isshin breathed.

"Cap...tain," Toshiro choked out, his sword being pulled to elbow height. "K...ill... Me."

Isshin's eyes widened with horror.

Then Toshiro leapt forward, his blade at the ready.

* * *

**D.T.B: Hehehe. Funny. The prequel is a twoshot. Hope you guys enjoy it. And don't forget to review. :)**


	2. Part Two

**Fallen Scarf Part Two**

* * *

_"__To-Shi-Ro!"_

_That was the first thing all of Squad Ten heard that day. Following that was the heavy pounding of a body against the walls of the barracks, as well as a few resounding thuds. _

_"__There he goes again," one of the members mumbled as they awoke._

_All eyes peered into the damaged room of the Third Seat. The white-haired member of the squads had his pillow held high over his head, his wide blue-green eyes looking down at his captain. "Captain Shiba!" he exclaimed. "Why do you DO that!?"_

_To answer, Isshin pulled himself off the ground. "Amazing dodge, Toshiro," he said. "Your Hakuda skills are improving."_

_Grumbling a little bit, Toshiro slammed his pillow on his captain's head. "Who the heck cares about Hakuda when they're trying to get some sleep!?"_

_Isshin simply chuckled and got back on his feet. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "Good point."_

_"__Captain," Toshiro growled, his shoulders trembling with rage._

_"__What?"_

_Toshiro glared at his captain with everything he had._

_"__You know," Isshin said, suddenly ruffling his Third Seat's hair, "you talk big, but when you just wake up, you have some of the cutest temper tantrums. Just like a kid."_

_Toshiro's face went warm. Then he gritted his teeth._

_"__Captain," Toshiro drawled with a growl._

_"__Eh?" went Isshin, knowing fully well what was about to follow._

_"__Hado 31: SHAKKAHO!"_

_The squad members outside quickly jumped away from the barracks, seconds before the room exploded into a fiery inferno._

* * *

_**He was a little kid trying to do a man's job. That was my first opinion of Toshiro. No matter what he did or how he covered everything up, I couldn't help it. He looked and behaved just like a child. **_

_**But I had to remember that he wasn't just an ordinary kid. He was gifted, talented. He was young, but he had a good head on his shoulders. If he polished himself, he'd be one of the best captains in the Soul Society.**_

_**I had wanted to see him become a Captain. So when Urahara asked me if I had any regrets, that was the first thing that came to my mind. The fact that I wouldn't be able to see him become the next Captain of Squad Ten.**_

_**I really wanted to see that.**_

_**But I never expected this...**_

* * *

"T-Toshiro," Isshin choked out. "Tell me you're joking."

Toshiro's trembling hand readied his blade, his cuts and scars becoming more and more obvious as he did so.

"You don't...you don't really want me to kill you, right?"

"Cap...tain," Toshiro said with a trembling voice. "K...ill... Me."

Isshin couldn't breathe when those words reached his ears.

Instantly, Toshiro leapt forward, his blade ready to pierce Isshin's heart. In the time it took for them all to blink, Isshin jumped into to air, throwing Mayuri to the side. "Come on, Toshiro!" Isshin exclaimed, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "Think! You don't actually want me to kill you, right!?"

Toshiro's dead eyes stared his captain down. Then he leapt into the air, Hyourinmaru held firmly in his hands. Isshin growled furiously and thrust his hand at his former Third Seat. "Bakudo #4!" he shouted. "Hainawa!"

Instantly, his hand glowed with a golden light. Then, without hesitation, he launched the light at Toshiro, entrapping him in a lasso of Spiritual Pressure.

"Try to fight it, Toshiro," Isshin said, landing on the debris below him. "I don't want to hurt you."

Toshiro didn't make any response to that. Rather, he looked down at his binds, his glassy eyes offering no emotion. Then his eyes narrowed, the Hainawa spell turning soft blue. "T-Toshiro!" Isshin exclaimed.

Seconds later, the Hainawa froze, then shattered into thousands of icy shards.

Isshin caught himself backing away. "That's not good," he thought to himself.

"Stop playing around, Captain," Giselle said. "Hurry up and defeat him."

Yet another order that needed immediate obedience.

Without missing a beat, Toshiro leapt forward, swinging his sword at Isshin's face. The former Captain was just barely able to dodge, lowering his body and jumping away from the tip of Hyourinmaru's fang.

"Bakudo #63!" Isshin declared, raising his hand to his chest as he regained his footing. "Sajo Sabaku!"

A thick rope of golden Spiritual Pressure then erupted from his hand, trapping Toshiro in its tight embrace.

"That should hold you for a while," Isshin said, slowly stepping to the side.

"No, it won't," Giselle called out. "Have you forgotten what he did with that last one?"

As if to answer, Sajo Saboku was steadily becoming encased in ice. Not as quickly as the Hainawa before it, but it was only a matter of time.

Isshin grumbled under his breath. His former Third Seat was looking him in the eye, speaking and thinking nothing as frost formed on his Kido. "Toshiro," he huffed. "Come on. Fight it. I don't want to have to hurt you."

"I'm afraid you might have to."

Isshin jerked his head to the source of the voice.

Great. Mayuri was up again. "Kurotsuchi," Isshin said. "What are you talking about?"

"This Quincy's ability is as powerful as it is deadly," Mayuri explained, pointing to Giselle. "Because she turned Captain Hitsugaya before he died, he is nothing but her mindless puppet. Speaking to him won't get anything done. You have to defeat him. And, unfortunately for me, because of his zombified state, the only way to stop him is to kill him."

Isshin almost stopped breathing.

"Captain Hitsugaya has become a zombie," Mayuri continued. "A dead body. Exhaustion only affects those who are living. Same with inflicting bodily harm. Because of his condition, nothing will slow him down."

At those words, Isshin redirected his attention to Toshiro. The Sajo Saboku wasn't going to last much longer. A few more seconds at most.

He hung his head and clenched his fists. "Toshiro," Isshin said under his breath.

Just then, the Kido spell shattered, glittering like fireflies around Toshiro's body. Then he leapt at Isshin again, his Hyourinmaru held high over his head.

"Oh dear," Mayuri said, jumping away as the blade came down. "It would appear that he's moving again."

Isshin rolled across the dusty ground, his eyes locked on the young captain. "Toshiro, cut it out!"

Without a response, Toshiro looked over to Isshin and paused. Then he raised Hyourinmaru over his head. "Soten...ni saze," Toshiro breathed lifelessly.

"Oh, no," thought Isshin.

"Hyourinmaru."

The sky above then darkened without warning, and an icy dragon appeared from the clouds.

Then it howled.

A howl with so much pain and sadness, Isshin caught himself clapping his hands over his ears. "Hyourinmaru," he thought with a groan.

"So it would appear that Hitsugaya's Hyourinmaru is expressing the pain that its master's body is experiencing," Mayuri hypothesized.

Isshin then stared Toshiro in the eye. "Toshiro!" he shouted. "Do you remember why you became a Soul Reaper!?"

Sadly, Toshiro offered no answer. Instead, he swung his sword forward, silently commanding Hyourinmaru to attack his former captain.

With hardly the time to think and even less time to react, Isshin ripped his sword from his sheathe. "Moero! Engetsu!"

Instantly, flames erupted from Isshin's blade, cleaving Hyourinmaru in two. "I forced you to tell me why you became a Soul Reaper! Remember!? And you told me it was because you wanted a place to fit in! A place to call home!"

After the last icy scale from Hyourinmaru's dragon form melted away, Toshiro leapt forward, swinging his blade down on Isshin, something the former captain was just barely able to block.

"_Cap...tain..._"

"Toshiro?" Isshin thought with a smile.

"_Please...kill me. Hurry...before...I kill you._"

Isshin gasped a little bit.

That was when he noticed Toshiro's trembling hands.

"_Captain, please! KILL ME!"_

"I can't do that to you, Toshiro!" Isshin shouted. "Have you forgotten what I taught you when you were just starting out as a Shinigami!?"

Toshiro's icy eyes widened. Then he tilted his sword, forcing more weight on Isshin's arms all the while. "Toshiro!"

With a growl, Isshin then shoved Toshiro off of his blade, sending the young captain several yards away. Fortunately, like a cat, Toshiro landed on his feet and readjusted his stance, pulling himself further away a little bit, his chain held firmly in between his fingers.

"Blast it, Toshiro," Isshin breathed, suddenly feeling a chill on one arm.

Looking down, he found that Toshiro had wrapped his chain around Isshin's left arm, all the way up to his elbow.

"Huh," went Isshin. "You've gotten better at this, Little Guy."

Then he paused.

Toshiro's body had begun to tremble again, his eyes being filled to the breaking point with emotion.

Pain.

Guilt.

Frustration.

Isshin could see it all.

Typical Toshiro.

"Cap...tain," he choked out. "P...Please...hurry."

"Sorry, Toshiro," Isshin sighed. "But I can't do that to you. It would defy what I taught you so long ago. Remember?"

Toshiro didn't speak. Only trembled.

"Besides," Isshin continued, plunging his sword into the ground and reaching into his shihakusho, "if I killed you, the person who gave this to you is going to be heartbroken."

Toshiro's eyes widened.

It was his scarf.

"Remember this? Karin actually asked for my opinion when picking it out. That had to have been the only time my precious daughter asked me for my opinion on clothing."

A happy sigh escaped him as he remembered Karin's face when she folded the scarf up. How it reminded him of Masaki.

His happiness was disrupted, however, when Hyourinmaru clattered against the battlefield. Instantly, Isshin regained his composure and looked back to Toshiro.

Trembling fingers were digging into Toshiro's scalp, his eyes wide with pain. His jaw fell, a strangled scream escaping from his lungs. Then he collapsed to his knees, banging his head against the ground violently.

"T-Toshiro!" Isshin exclaimed, ripping the chain from his arm. "What's the matter!?"

He jumped down to where Toshiro was laying, the icy captain trembling terribly.

"Toshiro, tell me what the problem is," Isshin said, placing his hands on Toshiro's shoulders. "Let me help you."

"Captain...run away," Toshiro choked out. "Hur...ry."

Then he let out another scream, his fingernails digging into his scalp to the point where they were ready to draw blood.

"Toshiro!"

Everything froze like the wind.

Silence enveloped them all.

Then Toshiro grinned.

A sudden pain erupted in Isshin's side, prompting him to look down. Toshiro was holding the moon-shaped blade from Hyourinmaru's chain, the crescent piercing Isshin's flesh. Isshin's blood was lightly pouring on Toshiro's clammy hand.

And his once dead eyes were now staring up at him, but not with that warm, bluish-green hue.

This was with death; black and teal.

"Now what's going on?" Giselle asked, shivering slightly.

"His Spiritual Pressure," Mayuri observed.

"I-It's you," Isshin growled.

"_**Well, well,**_" Toshiro said. "_**Fancy meeting you here. Welcome back, Captain Shiba.**_"

Grinning madly, Toshiro then ripped the crescent out of Isshin and got on his feet. Then he lifted Isshin by the neck and threw him away.

Right beside Mayuri.

* * *

Karin's room only seemed to be getting colder. The picture of Toshiro in her room had grown fragile. Even picking it up would shatter it into a thousand pieces.

"Toshiro," she breathed worriedly. "What's going on?"

She then stared at the picture intently, hoping to find Toshiro's face that had been completely frosted up.

Then she saw it.

A pale face with eyes of death.

Fear grabbed hold of her and she fell to the ground, her entire body shaking. "Toshiro."

* * *

"Wh-What's happening down there!?" Giselle screeched, grabbing her arms in fright. "His Spiritual Pressure has changed! I'm losing control of him!"

"Indeed it has," Mayuri said. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that it almost feels like a Hollow's Spiritual Pressure."

"No!" Isshin thought with a growl. "Not him. He can't come out now!"

Toshiro's dark eyes stared his captain down, a laugh escaping his lungs. "_**What's with the long face, Captain?**_" Toshiro asked. "_**You're not...**_**scared** _**or anything, are you?**_"

Isshin growled and clenched his fists.

Another laugh from Toshiro. "_**Well, not that it matters,**_" he said. "_**If you are, then it just makes it that much easier to kill-**__"_

_"__No. I won't...let you._"

Toshiro froze up like a statue, something Isshin noticed immediately.

Then he doubled over, his hands reaching for his throat. His knuckles were turning sickening white, as was the skin beneath his fingers. "N-No," Toshiro choked. "This...can't...happen."

Isshin jumped to where his former Third Seat was standing. "Toshiro," he began.

"I didn't...become a captain...just to have...this **monster** take control."

Isshin's eyes widened. Then they softened again and he chuckled. "Now that's what I was waiting to hear, Toshiro," he said.

Toshiro jerked his head over to Isshin, who instantly jumped over face him. He swung his hand forward, smacking Toshiro in the mouth, sending him back into the raised floor tiles.

"Eek!" Giselle exclaimed, jumping from her spot.

The dust began to settle soon after and Toshiro forced himself to stand back up. He was beginning to huff and puff, but otherwise, showed no difference from how he was behaving earlier.

"So, it didn't work?" Isshin thought regretfully.

Toshiro grinned. "_**I don't know what you thought you just did,**_" he said, "_**But all that did was catch me off-guard. And don't worry. I won't make that mistake agai-**_"

Suddenly, his stomach churned and his hands began to tremble. His throat felt like it was on fire, what injuries he had suddenly exploding in a new form of agony. Doubling over, Toshiro then clapped one hand over his mouth while his other arm reached for his chest.

Then he began to cough.

His shoulders were heaving as he dropped to his knees, not falling to his elbows solely because Isshin chose to catch him. His skin slowly began to grow paler and paler as a taste of bile came up his throat.

"What's happening!?" Giselle shouted.

Mayuri let out a chuckle. "It would appear that my special medicine is working perfectly," he said.

"Medicine?"

"Yes. You see, even back when he was a new member in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, I could tell that there was something unusual with Captain Hitsugaya's Spiritual Pressure," Mayuri explained. "So I had a little something prepared years ago to suppress his unusual Spiritual Pressure, just in case something were to happen. Unfortunately, he never allowed me to test it on him, so I don't know what the side effects might be."

"I can only imagine why he didn't want that," Isshin said. "Seeing as how the last time you tried that, he almost killed you."

Toshiro coughed again, the taste of bile finally beginning to fade away.

"Feelin' any better, Toshiro?" Isshin asked soothingly.

Toshiro paused. Then he gave the first actual response to something since Isshin arrived.

He turned to his former Captain, his eyes finally regaining that soft bluish-green hue. "Cap...tain...Shi..ba," he breathed.

Isshin grinned. "Hey, Toshiro," he said.

Toshiro looked on for only a second more before finally closing his eyes and collapsing in his captain's arms.

Smiling softly, Isshin lifted Toshiro into his arms. Now that Toshiro was free, Isshin could tell that Toshiro was hurting. His skin was now a sickly pale and his hands were covered in cuts and blisters. Not to mention, he stiffened up unconsciously as Isshin adjusted his hold on his former Third Seat. "Mayuri," Isshin began, "how much, exactly, did you hurt my subordinate before I got here?"

"Oh, just enough to confirm my theory that zombies couldn't be stopped unless they were killed," Mayuri answered off his cuff.

Isshin sighed in irritation.

"Don't worry, Toshiro," Isshin said. "I'm gonna take you to Squad Four right now. You've earned it."

With those words, he jumped away, being extra careful so as not to hurt the captain in his arm.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Giselle shouted. "He was **my** zombie!"

"I wouldn't think about chasing after him," Mayuri said suddenly. "I'm not finished fighting you yet."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Isshin neared the Squad Ten barracks. His eyes directed themselves to the injured boy in his arms.

He looked sick. Weak.

Like he was about to perish from the cold.

Isshin only gripped Toshiro tighter when he saw that, a lump forming in his throat all the while.

"Ran...giku," Toshiro breathed.

"Huh?"

"I have...to help...Rangiku..."

"Toshiro," Isshin breathed.

"Captain...Shiba..."

He then raised his limp hand, just barely grasping at the loose fabric from Isshin's faded haori. "I have...to help...Rangiku..."

That brought a smile back to Isshin's face. "Don't worry, Toshiro," he said. "We'll get you to Squad Four, then I'll go get the Lieutenant. I think you've done enough for right now. Just rest, Toshiro."

Then Toshiro's hand fell from his former captain's haori, landing gently in his lap.

That was the last time Toshiro spoke for the rest of the day.

Until they neared the Squad Four barracks.

* * *

**D.T.B: Suitable? If you thought it was okay, please review. And if you REALLY loved it, prepare for the sequel to Welcome Back, Hitsugaya. That's right. SEQUEL. Don't ask. XD**


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